Contribution of Selected Indigenous Vegetables to Household Income and Food Availability in Wedza District of Zimbabwe

The dependency of African rural households on indigenous vegetables for sustenance has been widely acknowledged in literature. Surprisingly, the production, commercialization and consumption of these vegetables have been historically overlooked by many stakeholders including rural households. Their utilization has mainly been acknowledged as a temporary stop gap measure in times of food inadequacy. As such, this empirical study based in Wedza district seeks to analyse the contribution of selected indigenous vegetables to household income and food availability. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the socio-economic factors that influence intensity of consumption of indigenous vegetables during and after the growing season and to determine the contribution of spider flower, pumpkin leaves and cowpea leaves to household income and food availability. Primary and secondary data were used for the study. The former were collected from 54 farmers using the questionnaire as the main tool. Triangulation was done using Focus Group Discussions and Observations. The latter were collected from extension officers’ records. The logit regression model, gross margin and ratio analysis were used to analyse the data. Results revealed that gender and income had a significant (p < 0.05) influence on intensity of consumption during the growing season only. Age, education level and market options had a significant (p < 0.05) influence during and after growing seasons. Hence, socio- economic factors influence intensity consumption of indigenous vegetables during and after the growing season. Results further show that 3% of the total household income was accounted for by the selected indigenous vegetables. The study cautiously concludes that indigenous vegetables can be a possible source of reliable income. It is recommended that farmers integrate modern technologies and indigenous knowledge to improve production and consumption of indigenous vegetables. Farmer and private sector driven awareness campaigns on the benefits and business potential of indigenous vegetables is essential. The government through the extension officers should spread their services along indigenous vegetables value chain to improve production, processing, post-harvest handling and marketing. There is hope that these efforts should facilitate commercialization of indigenous vegetables for increasing household income and food availability.